1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a kitchen appliance for, and method of, making farinaceous products and, more particularly, for making such foodstuffs as spaghetti, fettucini, macaroni, manicotti, lasagna, pizza crusts, taco shells, bagels, breadsticks and the like products from alimentary pasta or dough.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Industrial and household appliances, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,333, are known for kneading and extruding dough to form various farinaceous products. However, the known appliances have not proven to be altogether satisfactory. The usual type of mixer tends to develop accumulations or lumps of dough around the mixer shaft and on the mixer blades. This is undesireable and cannot be disregarded, particularly in a private kitchen where such accumulations use up significant portions of the available flour and other ingredients.
Further, such accumulations tend to impede the proper extrusion of the farinaceous product, especially where low-power motor drives are employed for household appliances. The known appliances must therefore be constantly cleaned--a drawback which is all the more objectionable due to the complex, multipart construction of the prior art appliances.
For example, the mixer and the extruder screw are typically separately rotatable about different axes of rotation. These separate parts must be individually removed from their respective mixing and extruding chambers. This is typically a time-consuming task due to the close quarters of the household appliance.
Moreover, the known household appliances typically use a sliding trap door to separate the mixing and extruding chambers. This is another undesirable aspect, because the trap door requires individual manipulation and cleaning.
Still further, the prior art appliances make only a few of the many farinaceous products available. The known appliances also make no provision for changing the thickness of the extruded product, as desired.